Editor’s picks: Expensive drugs, cheap illnesses and ... cats

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Americans who rely on extremely expensive drugs to treat their disease or even save their lives are increasingly footing more of the bill for those drugs. As the New York Times explains, insurers are abandoning a flat-rate pricing structure in favor of a percentage-based one. For some patients, the result is medication that costs them thousands of dollars a month.

Most people may think that preventing a disease is cheaper than treating it. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seem to think so. We may all be wrong, says the Washington Post. In the long run, such strategies can be more expensive for a health-care system. John McCain, perhaps wisely, has not touted prevention as a cure-all.

And sure, you can pay up to $35,000 for a hypoallergenic cat. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will prevent sneezing attacks in the hyper-sensitive, ABC News reports. Despite the much-hyped promise of allergen-free felines, some doubt the possibility of creating such an animal. Besides, when all is said and done, it’s still a cat. Surely, you can find a human to ignore you for that kind of money.

-- Tami Dennis